In Pictures: This is why Kumbh Mela is now India’s cultural heritage

The UNESCO tag gives it an official status.

The UNESCO has recognised the spiritual festival as an "intangible cultural heritage of humanity"

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Kumbh Mela has, over the years, garnered fame as “the world’s most massive act of faith.” Now, the UNESCO has recognised the spiritual festival as an “intangible cultural heritage of humanity”. Thousands of devotees gather at either of the four locations—the Haridwar, Allahabad, Nashik-Trimbakeshwar, and Ujjain Simhastha—to bathe in the Ganges, with the hope of being freed from their past sins (karma), thereby becoming eligible for liberation from the cycle of birth and death.

The External Affairs Ministry on Thursday said the recognition was accorded by the Inter-governmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, a division of UNESCO. The decision to recognise the Kumbh Mela was taken at its ongoing meeting in Jeju, South Korea. The Kumbh Mela was recommended by the expert body which is responsible for examining nominations submitted by member states. The committee said the Kumbh Mela was the largest peaceful congregation of pilgrims on Earth.

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In 2003, the UNESCO General Conference adopted the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Heritage as an international treaty, finding the need to recognise cultural heritage as more than tangible places, objects, and monuments. It also came to include traditions and living expressions.

The Kumbh Mela joins different elements from Botswana, Colombia, Venezuela, Mongolia, Morocco, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates on the veritable UNESCO list.